Warning: This story contains adult language, graphic violence, attempted rape, attempted suicide, and sexually explicit themes. Reader's discretion is advised. Rating - R.

Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of the Newsies characters. Apollonia, Giselle, Checkers, and other miscellaneous characters are all mine.

Chapter 28: Rules of the Game

Checkers got up early and went to the distribution office to collect his usual 50 papers. He was met by an eager Millionaire along with brothers Short Stop and Short Stack. The four young newsies stood in line talking among themselves as the older newsies did the same.

"Man, I hope the papes have somethin' really interesting ta hawk today. I'm at my wits end trying ta sell papes. The other day I had ta say dat a man gave birth to a seven pound baby just to get a few sales."

"Did it work?"

"Sure did. How'd ya think I was able ta buy everyone lunch dat day?"

Everyone gave Checkers a slap on the back for his generosity. "Yeah, thanks a lot, Checkers. You're a real pal when we're in a fix." Millionaire stated. The four were a little confused when they saw that their usual distributors were not there today at the window.

"Hey, where's Mush and Blink? It's not like them not ta work."

All found it odd for their older friends and mentors to be absent. The kids shrugged their shoulders at the situation. They eventually approached the window to be met by a friendly face.

"How many papes, kid?"

"50, mister."

Once Millionaire purchased his papers, he sat down and began reading the articles, looking for something interesting to shout to potential customers. "Here's a good article. Baby born with three heads, sixteen fingers, and one eye."

"Oh, dat's no good! Remembah what Cowboy used ta say, ya gotta improve da truth a little."

"Yeah, Short Stop is right." Said Short Stack. "Ya gotta spice things up a little. Cowboy always knew what ta say. I miss him."

The boys sat quietly as they retained all of the lessons that they learned from Jack and the other "Masters of Newsiedom." Shortly, they were joined by their fellow newsies who went over the articles with them before deciding to carry the banner.

~

The hospital was white and somber. All of the nurses and doctors worked their shifts to no avail attending to the sick and injured. The hospital's patients were many. A priest was giving the last rites to an old man who was breathing his last few breaths. The rooms were filled with various patients. A girl sat up in her bed playing with her doll. Her face was badly burned from a pot of boiling water that spilled on her while she played too close to the stove.

Further down the hall, a boy inhabited a bed. He sat up while playing solitaire by himself. In the bed next to him were two boys play fighting with wooden swords. One boy was bed-ridden due to rickets; the other had his head bandaged tight.

All around Crutchy stood David, Race, Blink, and Mush. They guys were dumbfounded at seeing their friend lying in bed. What did Crutchy do to deserve this? Who could have done this to someone so nice and so non- threatening? David lightly nudged him to wake up as he could see that Crutchy was able to hear them talking to him.

"Crutchy? Crutchy? Wake up. Wake up, please. It's your pals here. It's me, David. Wake up, Crutchy." Crutchy's eyes began to open little by little as he was trying to take in his surroundings. His eyes were met by the blinding light directly above him. Blink stood there on the verge of tears as he saw his friend awaken. Mush looked upon him with eyes that conveyed a childlike innocence. Racetrack stood with his hands in his pockets as he shook his head from side to side. He couldn't believe what happened to his dear friend.

Crutchy laid there as if he were lifeless. His body was perfectly still, as he could not feel it. He had been in quite a few fixes before, but this was a definite first. David leaned forward to him. He needed to know what happened.

"Who did this to you? Why did somebody do this to you?" Crutchy could not fully remember the full-scale details of his assault. Being that being held over the railing of a bridge was a traumatic experience for him, it was very possible that he had blocked out some of the details. Lying perfectly still like a Hellenistic statue, Crutchy remained silent and composed.

"Crutchy, come on. You've got to tell us what happened? We are your friends. We care about you, boy. What happened?" David pleaded. Race turned to Blink and Mush and motioned for them to step outside of the room with him. Once they reached the hallway, Racetrack stopped the other two.

"This is some really fucked up shit. I mean someone thought dat they could get away with roughing up a good, crippled guy and get away with it. I don't know about you fellas, but I'm ready ta go out and kick some serious ass!"

"Calm down, Race. We don't know who did this to him. It coulda been anybody." Blink stated.

"But who would wanna do something like dis ta Crutchy? I mean he doesn't harm anybody or anything. Everybody at the orphanage and the grocery store knows dat he's a good guy and he has a rep for having a kind heart. I think dat this was just some screwball who wanted to do something nasty and Crutchy was his target." Mush explained.

Race was becoming agitated. He couldn't keep himself still being that he was burning with rage.

"Jack would know what ta do." He said to himself.

"But Jack isn't here. He's in Santa Fe living his dream and he doesn't need ta have the bad news of one of his friends falling into da trap of some crazy nut dampening his spirits. Let's just keep this ta ourselves." Blink suggested. Mush nodded his head in agreement.

"Race?" he said looking at his angry friend. Race just looked at Blink with an attitude. Blink reiterated his suggestion with a look that told Race that he'd better comply with his proposal. Race just stood there looking at him with an unlit cigar in his mouth. He then decided to meet the terms of Blink's plan. They went back into Crutchy's room.

David was still not having any luck prying information from him. Crutchy kept saying that he didn't remember much of anything that night. All he could recall was that he was being suspended upside down over a bridge and he had a brief conversation with a familiar voice. The memory was still in the back of his mind. The recollection of the assailant was there, but for some unknown reason, he could not twist his mouth or his brain to tell anyone who it was that assaulted him. He couldn't even remember Snyder's face. All he could remember was the faint image of a man who horrifically insulted him. And, among other things, he couldn't remember Snyder's interrogation of Jack's whereabouts. It was as if the river had washed away all memory of his conversation.

Gradually, Crutchy began to fall asleep in his friends' presence. David then turned to the guys. "I couldn't get a damn thing out of him." He dropped his hands to his sides and proceeded to walk away with the guys. They walked slowly and sorrowfully out of the hospital.

"I think you can use a drink, Dave." Said Race as the four decided to head for Paddy's Tavern.

~

In the streets of Manhattan, numerous stories could be told. Stories of people being robbed, dragged and beaten to death, women raped and left for dead were all tales many a New York alley could tell. If only those pathways could talk. Right now they would be telling the next unsuspecting visitor about a group of bullies beating the shit out of a young boy. The boy, no more than age 16, was being pummeled by a fist time and time again while two roughnecks held each of his arms.

"I don't know where he is, sir!"

"That's what they all say."

With that, the thug crashed another blow into the brown-haired guy's face, giving him a definite shiner. Blood flowed from the boy's nose and lips. He did not know why he was chosen by these gangsters to question. Up until he thought that he led a problem-free life. Without warning, the hooligan through another uppercut to his adolescent face.

He screamed as his girlfriend watched helplessly from afar, totally paralyzed by the strong arms of a criminal. Snyder stepped to the young man, slowly striding towards him with a strong arrogance in his step.

"Look, here young man. I am not in the habit of beating up young bloods in the street just to obtain a little piece of information. I'm a rather respectable man. And I'm going to give you the chance to save yourself. Both yourself and the virtue of your girlfriend." He said as he looked over at the boy's significant other. She was still in the manly clutches of one of the younger villains. He kept eyeing her as he looked at her. Her blouse was stretched open, revealing her cleavage. The other men looked over at the young girl smiling salaciously, licking their lips. One man started wiggling his tongue at the girl while another began rubbing his crotch.

"I'm okay with that plan, Mr. Snyder! My snake hasn't been fed in a while. He hasn't tasted a brunette in some time now!"

The girl began sobbing uncontrollably. Her boyfriend, who stood powerless between the two thugs, just put his head down in shame.

Snyder was becoming just as impatient as Banner, who stood a few feet away from the commotion. He casually smoked a cigarette as his men carried out their unlawful duties. The boy looked over at his girlfriend, whose face was wet from crying. He could not allow Snyder to let his men gang rape his sweetheart in the middle of an alley.

"Okay, mister. This is all I heard. I heard dat Jack had gone out west somewhere. He and his girlfriend left New York. Dey's been gone for a few months now. Dat's all I know, sir."

Snyder looked at the young boy smiling wickedly. With one, quick movement of his head, he motioned for the assisting outlaws to let the couple go. The boy, bleeding and holding his stomach, was barely able to stand. His girlfriend was released from the other goon, but not before he planted a wet, nasty kiss onto her lips. She rubbed her mouth with the sleeve of her blouse, clearly disgusted by the gesture of the hoodlum and the taste of rum on his breath. She limped over to her boyfriend, expressing grief as they held each other in their arms.

~

Every other evening, festivities were held in the plaza that brought out scores of people to unwind and have fun after a long day's or week's worth of work. Trying to prepare everything from decorating their house to building the fences on their land took a lot out of the couple. So, as a way to let everything go, Apollonia suggested that they go to one of the celebrations that were being held in the main square. Within minutes, Jack walked into the house.

"Apollonia, baby, where are ya?"

"In the bedroom, cherie." Jack quickly made his way up the staircase to their recently decorated sleeping quarters. He walked in on Apollonia as she tirelessly roamed back and forth gathering her garments and accessories to wear for their romantic rendezvous.

"You're taking me out on the town. I want to eat; I want to see the sights; I want to dance; I want to -"

"Damn! I wish you'd told me all this earlier. Then I wouldn't have made a date with a pretty seƱorita that I met earlier in the marketplace." Apollonia rounded him with a pillow and sent it hurling towards him. Jack laughed at her outburst, running towards her, jumping on the bed to subdue her. There he straddled her, holding her arms above her head until she succumbed to submission. "Come on, baby. You know that you are the woman of my dreams." He said tenderly. He planted a soft, gentle kiss onto her lips.

"And to show you that I want you to be extra pretty tonight, I bought you a little something. It just came today." He presented her with a brown package. Looking at it curiously, she tore open the package to reveal a wooden, rectangular box. Inside the box lay an ornate gold festoon necklace and matching earrings. The jewelry was a work of art. She ran her fingers over the intricate detail of its design.

"Jack you shouldn't have."

"I didn't have to, but I wanted to." He said as he gently chucked her under the chin. He pulled her from the bed and made her stand in front of the dresser's mirror. He placed the necklace around her neck after she lifted her long hair out of his way.

"It's beautiful, Jack."

"Just like you, doll." He then kissed her on the shoulder.

~

Santa Fe was beautiful in its entire splendor. The night sky was deep blue and fresh with a certain ambiance about it. Seeing the various people enjoying themselves and each other's company added to it all. Jack saw many couples engaging themselves in the art of romance, kissing their lovers, letting the object of their affection known to all that witness it. Jack noticed a myriad of young girls standing in a huddle. They looked to be between thirteen to seventeen years in age. One, in particular, was quite attractive. She had long, dark locks and eyes to match. She appeared to be around age fourteen. What a beauty she will be at twenty he thought. She almost looked like a younger version of Apollonia, possessing the same eyes, hair, skin complexion, and smile. He smiled to himself as he saw the young guys trying to attract the attention of the girls as they giggled amongst each other. It reminded him of how girls would briskly walk by when he and his newsies would spot one of them in passing and say something flattering to them, watching as they blushed or sweetly chuckled to themselves. How young they were when they caught sight of the opposite sex!

With rising excitement and anticipation, Apollonia watched the swirling dancers on the crowded dance floor. She took pleasure in the cheerful tune the mariachi band was playing. Jack's arm, which was encircled around her waist, made her feel safe and protected amid the hundreds of people who swarmed Santa Fe's central plaza. The night had been brightened by the brightly lit lanterns that swayed and danced in the light wind to their own rhythm as they hung suspended overhead.

The tightening of Jack's arm around her, pulling her even closer to him as other would-be dancers crowded around, brought Apollonia's eyes to meet his. They were so warm that she could not maintain contact for long. He was so brilliantly handsome tonight in his clothes. He purchased his suit from a store in Santa Fe and had not worn it until tonight. Apollonia did notice many of the women in the plaza eyeing Jack. She knew that she most likely stirred jealousy in the hearts of the women who stared at them.

Jack smiled to himself that this breathtakingly beautiful woman was with him. He had seen all the men, young and old, staring openly at her as they walked by. However, he was not jealous. He felt sorry for them because they would never know how it felt to be in her arms. The thought of some other man coming between them was challenging. His eyes narrowed at the thought of such a thing.

"Mon Dieu! Who or what put that look on your face, chere?" She said while stroking his back.

With a guilty flush, Jack just playfully rolled her eyes and smiled. "Nothing, baby. I was just wondering when this song will ever end so we can dance the next one. I can't keep still much longer."

"Patience, my love." She said, reaching up to kiss him. "We'll get our chance soon enough." Apollonia took in the splendor of the Santa Fe celebration and the rich, celebratory atmosphere which permeated the air. As the band ended their current tune, the dance floor became bare as the present set of dancers exited, making way for the next wave of dancers.

"Shall we?" Jack said to her as he took her hand and led her to the center of the floor. Her silk dress made a statement on its own, with it opulent look and vibrant colors of red, green, and purple. The effervescent attire complimented her tawny complexion, along with the fancy gold necklace and earrings that Jack had purchased for her. The necklace rested beautifully on her bountiful chest, which had a layer of lace hanging from the edge of the bodice. The black lace mantilla, which she had wrapped around her arms below her elbows and resting on the back of her dress, added a touch of elegance to her apparel. She abandoned her heart to Jack and her feet to the music as soon as the band began playing. Apollonia was feeling wonderful tonight. With his hands on her waist and her hands on his shoulders, he twirled her around, executing the dynamic steps of a fandango.

~

Checkers sold most of his papers for the day, but was currently in the middle of a break. He stopped at the Horace Greeley statue to shoot a few marbles with his friends. Lacey, a short blonde girl newsie, walked by the group of young lads as they became heavily involved in their street games.

"Hiya, fellas! What are you cuties up to?"

"Oh, get lost, Lacey. We don't want ya messin' up our break time." Scolded Short Round.

"Hey, Round! Don'tcha know how ta talk ta a pretty lady when ya see one?" Short Stack said while approaching her, obviously smitten with the good- looking newsgirl.

Lacey just stood there smiling at the newsie who she was charming. "Uh, whatta ya up to, Lace?"

"Well, I'm about to go to Tibby's for a drink and a bite to eat. Wanna come?" She said, batting her eyelashes.

Short Stack was stunned by the invitation. Fidgeting back and forth, he kept looking back at his friends, all of whom stopped their game to focus on the young fille who used her feminine whiles to catch a newsie. And he fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.

"Uh, sure. Let's go."

Smiling happily, Lacey walked into Tibby's with Short Stack close behind. The other's looked on disappointed. "Man, he's getting' worse. Every time he sees dat goil he goes ga-ga over her like she's made of gold or somethin'."

"Ah, don't get so upset, Short Round. Your brother is at dat age where goils are on his mind. When you get ta be his age, you're gonna see."

Short Round responded with a roll of the eyes. They resumed their horseplay in between selling papers. Within the hour, Checkers realized that he had to finish selling his papes. He had about 25 papers left to sell and he knew that he could do it in thirty minutes maximum.

He started selling his papers near the boxing ring, aiming for the businessmen and viewers of the boxing match. One by one, the papers started fleeing his possession as more and more customers reacted to the selling tactics of the newsie. Walking further down the street, he aimed to capture more buyers. Tripping on a brick that was lying in the street, Checkers nearly lost his balance. Luckily, he noticed a dime right next to the brick. Thinking this to be his lucky day, he bent down to pick it. "Man, dis really is my lucky day. Boy, Jack would be proud of me." He said out loud to himself. He began shouting the headlines as a figure came up and stood over him.

He looked up into the face of a man who looked like a man of means. "Hi, dere, sir. Would ya like a pape?"

"Yes, please." Said the gentleman. Eyeing the kid closely, he was given the impression that the boy was probably a kid that he could question. Eying the newsie's number of papers he had, he decided to make small talk.

"So, I take it that you have a few more minutes to go before you are able to leave your daily duty of peddling newspapers, huh, young man?"

"Yeah, I guess ya could say dat. I'm gonna catch a bite ta eat and then I'm gonna catch a flick with da rest of my friends as soon as dey finish selling dere papes, too."

"So I see. I take it you know a lot of the newsies around here."

"Sure do."

"And I also take it that you know most of the newsies of the past. Like Crutchy, for example."

"Yeah, I know Crutchy! He spends time working at dat orphanage wit da kids and all, although I haven't seen him in a while. I know a lotta fellas dat used ta be newsies. Racetrack, Kid Blink, Mush, Les, and Jack Kelly. He was da leada of it all! "

A calculating grin spread across his face as the young lad mentioned the name Jack Kelly. He gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, escorting him to another direction.

"Well, young man, I suppose that you wouldn't be interested telling me about this strike over an ice cream soda, would you?"

"Sure, sir!" Flattered by the stranger's hospitality, Checkers went ahead and obliged him.

Casually, they sauntered into Wilson's Drugs to make themselves comfortable at the counter for the soda fountain. Checkers devoured his ice cream quickly as the mysterious interloper slowly consumed his Root Beer Float.

"So, tell me all about this strike. What happened?"

"Yeah, Jack Kelly. He led a famous strike back in 1899. Beat the giants of da corporate woild. Dey hiked up da price of da papes and everybody went crazy. All of da newsies and kids from all ovah, from those who worked in da stables to da factories came and joined in. Dey even printed their own paper to pass ta everybody."

"So, you know this Jack Kelly, huh?"

"Sure do. But he's not here anymore."

"Where is he?"

"In Santa Fe. He moved out dere a few months ago with his girlfriend." A mischievous grin spread across his face.

"So, Kelly's got a woman, has he?"

"Yeah, she's real pretty, too. And nice."

The friendly stranger nodded his head delightfully as the boy willingly volunteered the information he ruthlessly sought. After their consumption of the desserts, the boy was then shepherded out of the establishment. Walking down the street, Checkers then noticed that the acquaintance was steering them in another direction, opposite the lodging house.

"Um, sir, where are we going? Are we going to catch a show or something?"

"Not exactly."

The two came across a tall, brick building with bars on the windows. Kids were staring out of them as the two made their way into the edifice.

"Are we visitin' someone here?" Checker asked.

"You might say that, young man. We are visiting your future."

A man in a vest and dress shirt walked up to the two and greeted them. "Hello, sir. I am here to make a deposit." Said the stranger as he pushed Checkers roughly into the patron.

"Take good care of him. I'm sure the Refuge will do well by him." The corpulent man turned on his heel slowly, but not before giving Checkers a sinister grin.

~

Jack loved his time in the land of enchantment. He allowed the night air to fill his lungs, inhaling every molecule of the unmarked atmosphere. Riding among his private territory, he took in the final completion of his ranch and home. The beauty of the hacienda was more than he imagined. The house was stately and earthy all at once. He was thrilled immensely at the materialization of his ultimate goal. He loved how he and Apollonia rode one of their prized horses together on one saddle. He guided the horse like an expert as Apollonia sat in front of him enjoying her ride with her man behind her. They held a high regard for their new homeland, a land of vast, open spaces which boasted riparian valley landscapes, high deserts, to the equally lush pine-covered forest of the Sangre de Cristo Rocky Mountains.

Apollonia dismounted the horse and went back to the house, preparing to bathe and retire. Jack stayed out for another hour or so, riding his horse, racing back and forth on the ranch to further exercise his steed. His horses were very strong and obedient to his every command that he ordered. He called his favorite horse Racetrack. Following the equestrian work out, he put Racetrack back into the stable with the rest of his livestock.

He walked into the bedroom, watching Apollonia as she sat at her dresser brushing her hair. With rolled up sleeves and a bandana around his neck, Jack wandered over to her, standing behind her as he looked at her, eye to eye, in the mirror. Apollonia turned around, clad in her nightdress, looking straight up at her beloved. She could tell that Jack was thinking about something to himself, something secretive; reticent. She stood up calmly and looked at him closely. She could tell he was pleased.

"I knew that I would live out my dream sooner or later. It would either happen or I would die trying."

"Do you know how to cheat Mr. Death?" Jack looked at her quietly. "By making love because he knows that when you make love you can make another life. And that makes Mr. Death mad as hell."

Jack slyly smiled to her, pulling her to him gently as she willingly complied with his advances. Jack looked deeply into Apollonia's eyes. He could even see his unborn children in her eyes.

Apollonia caught her breath. She itched to put her hands on his tall, perfectly formed, muscular body. He pushed her up against the wall, kissing her while lowering the top of her nightgown before reaching underneath to remove her undergarments. She willingly spread her legs to him to allow for immediate penetration. Jack then released himself from his underwear. Lifting her up by her buttocks as he cupped them firmly in his hands, he inserted himself into her. With every thrust, Jack was enthralled with what could possibly happen. Torrential passion frenzied within his very soul. He kept thrusting deeper, harder than before as if her were staking a claim. A small, dark-haired, dark-eyed, fiery-tempered woman had complete control over him. Her beautiful, demanding body allowed him to have power over it.

She reached down and grabbed at his butt, pressing him more firmly into her, and he groaned within her mouth as he thrust deep inside her. As he mounted her, she could fell her body tingling in waves of pleasure. Within due time, Jack erupted with a hot gush of semen filling her entrails.

After hours had passed, everything at the Sullivan estate seemed serene. Warm and content, Apollonia slept in the bed like a newborn baby. She had been worn out by the rigorous lovemaking session that she was thoroughly involved in. She opened her eyes as she noticed she was alone in the bed; her arm left in the warm spot where her lover's body indentation left its mark. She looked over to the window, seeing Jack staring out of the window, topless with his arms folded, looking back out at his stunning estate.

She rose to her feet; the sheet slid down, revealing her nude body. Holding the sheet around her, Apollonia stood right beside him, staring up into his eyes. He continued to stare into infinity for a few minutes before acknowledging her with his loving, hazel eyes.

"How could so much love be inside of ya?"

"If I thought our love was ending, I'd find myself drowning in my own tears."

"Promise me you'll never leave me, Apollonia."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Cowboy." Slowly, they leaned forward and shared a heated and sensuous kiss.